Media Center

WASHINGTON—Today, the House passed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015—a bill which Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) co-sponsored—to enact a permanent ‘doc fix’ that provides predictable reimbursement rates from Medicare to providers, and repeals the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula adopted in 1997. Courtney released the following statement after the bill passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 392 to 37:

“Today, in a welcome burst of bipartisan common sense, the House passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, a bill that permanently stabilizes provider fees, extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two years, and bolsters community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers. Low-income seniors will continue to receive help with Medicare out-of-pocket costs through a permanent extension of the Qualified Individuals Program.

“I am pleased that Democratic and Republican leadership came together to negotiate a balanced solution to the Medicare reimbursement rate issue that has plagued Connecticut doctors since 1997. Seventeen times, Congress has enacted one-year stopgap measures to prevent cuts to providers, and this bill would finally end the annual threat of draconian cuts. This legislation is the result of years of persistent advocacy by America’s health care workforce, from highly specialized physicians to the frontline volunteers who help seniors and children day in and day out at senior centers, community health clinics and health care facilities.”